Conclusion

According to the results of statistical analyses, this study reached the following conclusions. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that, in terms of the level of agreement with the six factors of specialized subjects, stress tolerance, physical strength, friends, relationship with parents,and “careerplanning,the level of agreement with relationship with parents was the highest, indicating that college students suggested that it is important for parents to understand and respect their children. In terms of interaction, the students like to show their care about their parents in order to maintain the intimate relationship with them. The next-highest level of self-concept is stress tolerance.

The research results showed that the subjects usually have a calm and relaxed emotional status, can steadily face setbacks, and are usually in a delightful mental state. From the level of agreement with the self-concept of specialized subjects, it is inferred that the students are interested in the specialized subjects they are learning, and feel that the subjects could bring out their inner talents. Moreover, they are willing to make more effort in the learning of specialized subjects. As for the level of agreement with the

self-concept of friends, the students are satisfied with their interpersonal relationships and interactions, and they also suggest that it is very easy for them to make friends. The level of agreement with the self-concept of physical strength shows that individuals perform well in physical strength-related activities, and they also like to engage in physical strength-related activities. The level of agreement with the self-concept of career planning is the lowest. The reason may be that the students are still studying, and cannot specifically plan their future careers. They can only prepare for the future by having an aggressive attitude.

The results of the confirmatory factor analysis on the constructs of social support showed that, in terms of the level of agreement with three factors, families, teachers, and peer, the level of agreement with peers was the highest, indicating that college students suggested that friends would provide them with consolation and support at the right moments, and are willing to listen and share experiences. The students would encourage one another and help analyze problems when they encounter difficulties. The level of agreement with families is lower. The results showed that families would encourage the students and respect their personal decisions. Families are also willing to listen to the joys and frustrations they face during the learning process, and could provide the students with spiritual support. The level of agreement with teachers is the lowest. The results showed that although teachers are seen as playing the role of someone who could understand students’ feelings, respect their ideas, and approve their effort and performance. The overall level of agreement with teachers is still lower than that for the other factors.

In terms of the level of importance of social support, this study found that degrees of importance, from the highest to the lowest, are in the following order: peers, families, and teachers. This finding is consistent with Cho (2010). Most students only attach importance to interactions with peers. Therefore, this study suggested that, in addition to maintaining good interactions with peers, college students should also be encouraged to

frequently participate in learning activities and be exposed to various learning opportunities where they can closely interact with advisors and school teachers, as teachers are the one responsible for course planning, teaching activities, and interacting with students. Consequently, teachers should be encouraged to interact with the industries to understand industrial practices and developmental trends, establish interactive platforms to assist students in increasing employability, and timely and effectively improvestudents’employability in theprocessofformalschooleducation (Lio,Chiou and Hu,2006).By such actions,students’learning ofprofessionalcompetenceand skills can be improved. Moreover, it will be beneficial to their future life planning, expansion of social and interpersonal resources, conveyance of experiences, and maintenance of good relationships with teachers, which may substantially benefit their cultivation of future employability.

Based on the statistical analysis on the overall model, the following conclusions are proposed. There is a significantly negative relationship between the self-concept and academic performance of college students. Based on literature review, in terms of students’ individual factors, some scholars suggested that stronger self-concept and self-esteem of students lead to better academic performance (Ko1sa, 1989; Melnick, 1992).Based on theabove,students’self-concept is a factor affecting their academic performance; however, this study also found a significantly negative relationship between students’ self-concept and academic performance. An inferred result is that there are many college students that do not care about academic performance; and some students suggested that self-concept and academic performance are not important, which may explain why self-concept has a significantly negative effect on academic performance.

Social support has a positive effect on college students’ academic performance. Among the factors of social support, the importance of support from peers is the highest, followed by the support from parents. William and Kristan (2006) indicated that peers are

very important resources of social support. The social capital of peer network involves the establishment of mutual habits and influence. Good peer interactions can allow students to help each other solving academic problems, and even entering colleges. Brooks (2007) found that during the stage of college education, college students are strongly influenced by peer relationships in the aspects of academic performance and extracurricular activities.

This study found that friendships with peers could provide college students with mutual emotional support. In addition, experiences other than academic activities would affect students’college education. Therefore, it is necessary to provide college students with adequate encouragement and support.

Self-concept has a positive effect on occupational choice intention. Previous studies have seldom investigated the influence of self-concept on occupational choice intention.

However, this study verified that the basic cognition of students’ self-concept is preliminarily developed at the college stage. As a result, it is reasonable that self-concept has an effect on the short-term occupational choice intention of college graduates.

Therefore, college education should cultivate students’ professional workplace competence in a timely manner in order to ensure that they can select appropriate directions for career choices.